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"Arrest Uchiha Kagaya? No! Arrest the entire Uchiha Kagaya family!"
Danzō's face darkened as he objected.
"Since Uchiha Kagaya attacked Root, he's suspected of rebellion. His entire family must be arrested to prevent the worst outcome."
The Third Hokage firmly rejected the idea.
"No! Arresting Kagaya's entire family would be the worst outcome. It would only fuel the Uchiha clan's discontent."
Danzō snorted coldly.
"The Uchiha clan is an evil clan. Their discontent is already clear as day. What's a little more? The priority now is to prevent any rebellion from Uchiha Kagaya's family."
"Just because their discontent is already evident, we can't afford to add to it. Besides, it was Kagaya who attacked Root, not his family."
"Not his family? Hiruzen, you're being naive! How could a child's actions have nothing to do with their parents? Perhaps it was his parents who instigated the attack on Root. I insist we arrest Uchiha Kagaya's entire family!"
"No! I absolutely won't allow Kagaya's parents to be arrested."
"Hmph, then I'll arrest his parents in Root's name."
"Danzō, you—"
"Hiruzen, some things you can't do, so let me handle them. Rest assured, if you determine Uchiha Kagaya is innocent, I'll release his parents as well."
The conversation ended on this note.
---
Noon.
The training grounds where Kagaya was located were surrounded by several Jōnin.
"Uchiha Kagaya, by order of the Third Hokage, you are under arrest."
Kagaya looked at the Jōnin in disbelief. He had anticipated that killing the Root members last night wouldn't end easily, but he never imagined that by the very next day, the Third Hokage would issue an arrest order against him.
Since when did the Third side with Danzō?
Kagaya asked calmly, "What's the reason?"
The Jōnin replied expressionlessly, "You actively killed Root members and are suspected of rebellion."
Kagaya froze.
"Actively killed? Rebellion? Heh…"
At that moment, his heart sank. It seemed Danzō had turned the tables and accused him, and worse, the Third appeared to believe it.
This wasn't the first time Kagaya felt disappointed in the Leaf Village, but this time, it was particularly severe.
Being wrongfully accused felt terrible, especially when the accusation seemed to stick.
"I understand. I'll go with you."
Kagaya didn't resist and followed them obediently. Several Jōnin were far beyond his current ability to oppose.
At the same time, Kagaya's home was surrounded by Root members. They barged in without hesitation.
Several female Root members roughly seized Uchiha Yuko and took her away without a word.
Meanwhile, at the Konoha Police Force, Danzō personally confronted Fugaku. After a brief, cold exchange, a group of Root members took Takayuki away.
Thus, Kagaya's entire family was arrested. This caused an uproar among the Uchiha, igniting their fury. Barging into their clan to arrest their people without so much as an explanation from the village—was that appropriate?
Moreover, arrests were supposed to be handled by the Konoha Police Force. Why was Root involved? Did this show any respect for the Uchiha?
Fugaku personally went to the Third Hokage to plead for Kagaya's family, only to be rebuffed. The Third claimed that once the truth was revealed, Kagaya's family would be released.
Of course, Kagaya was unaware of all this.
After being taken away by the Jōnin, his eyes were covered with a black cloth, likely to prevent him from memorizing the route and escaping—or perhaps out of fear of his Sharingan.
His wrists were bound with shackles inscribed with sealing techniques, preventing him from forming hand signs or using any ninjutsu. The seals also suppressed his chakra. As long as the shackles remained, Kagaya couldn't access his chakra.
Soon, he was brought to a dimly lit room. The black cloth over his eyes wasn't removed, likely due to continued concern about his Sharingan.
Roughly pushed into the room by the Jōnin, Kagaya, unable to see, groped around until he found a place to sit and carefully settled down.
Once a genius, now reduced to a criminal because of a few words from Danzō. It was, undeniably, quite ironic.
For the days that followed, Kagaya saw nothing and spoke to no one. He was given only one meal a day, keeping him in a constant state of lethargy, unable to attempt an escape.
His hands remained shackled, making every meal a struggle to eat.
'Third Hokage, am I a criminal?'
Kagaya didn't voice the question aloud, only asking it silently in his heart.
His current confinement was no different from that of a heinous criminal.
Why was the Third doing this? He shouldn't be. Didn't he understand the truth of the situation?
Then, Kagaya thought of someone. Perhaps the Third knew the truth but was too focused on stability. Maybe he believed that letting Kagaya suffer a bit would appease Danzō, ensuring he wouldn't target Kagaya further.
Heh.
This treatment of Kagaya was strikingly similar to how Naruto was treated—sacrificing the target's well-being to appease others, ensuring they wouldn't be targeted further.
Kagaya had no words for this. Day after day, he lingered on the edge of death. He saw no one, spoke to no one, and received only one meal a day. Every condition was designed to keep him teetering on the brink.
---
Hokage's Office.
Shisui knelt on one knee before the Third, pleading.
"Lord Hokage, I can vouch for Kagaya. It was Root members who attacked him first, not Kagaya actively killing them."
The Third frowned, his face full of bitterness.
"Shisui, I understand, but you didn't witness it yourself. There's testimony of Kagaya attacking the two Root members, but no evidence that Root struck first."
Shisui spoke urgently.
"But Lord Danzō—I swear on the name of Shisui of the Body Flicker that Kagaya is innocent."
The Third shook his head.
"That's not evidence. Stand down, Shisui."
Shisui stared at the Third, pleading repeatedly, but in the end, the Third didn't agree to release Kagaya.
Shisui left, his face full of disappointment.
Shortly after, the Hokage's office door opened again. In came Itachi, dressed in Anbu attire.
The Third looked at Itachi with a headache.
"Itachi, I know what you're going to say, but I really can't—"
Itachi knelt on one knee, his gaze resolute.
"Lord Third, I'm certain Kagaya is innocent."
*****
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